Top for containers



'Jfil flT); 1923.

C. S. BARON TOP FOR CONTAINERS Filed July 2 1921 'charge opening thereof;

Patented July 10, I923.

CHARLES s. nanon, or 11mm, onro.

ATENT.

osmos TOP FOB, CONTAINERS,

Application filed July .2,

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, CHARLns S. BARON, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of 'Tiflin, in the county of Seneca, in the State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tops for. Containers, of which-the following is a specification,reference being had to the accompan ing drawing. I

l y invention relates to, improvements in tops for-containers for liquid or granular substances, such, for example as sugar bowls and syrup jugs, respectively,'and has forits main object the provision therein of automatic means for opening-and closing the dis- Further specific objects of my invention are found in the particular :opening andclosing means employed, which are adapted automatically and positively to open the discharge spout of the container when the container is tilted at any angle suitable for the discharge of its contents, and which will antomatically close and effectually seal the spout whenever the longitudinal axis of the container assumes a vertical position.

My invention possesses,'besiclesnovelty of structure, the novelprovision of means by" which'the opening and closing means is ren-' dered automatic or-easily-subjeot to manipulative control at will, and of provision by which the operative mechanism thereof is carried entirely on the outside of the container and out of reach, under ordinary operative conditions, of the sticky contents there of. a

What constitutes my invention will be hereinafter specified in detail and succinctly set forth in the appended claims.

In'the accompanying drawing: a

Figure I is a top plan view of one of my container tops, in present preferred form of embodiment. r

Figure II is a side elevation of'the upper portion of a container broken away, and thereon a separable top like the one shown in Figure I, said top being partly in vertical section, the better to illustrate the opening and closing mechanism therefor, said mechanism being shown in the closed position and the longitudinal axis of the container being in the vertical position' a Figure III is a side elevation of the subject matter of Figures I and II, showing the longitudinal axis of the container inclined from the vertical, and, in consequence of 1921. Serial No. 482,048.

such inclination, the lid on the top open: for, it

the discharge of the .contents .of the container.

- Referring to the numerals on the ings, l indicates the top of a container 2;: I'-

prefer to makev the top of metal and. the.

container of glass or fictile materiahand' to unite them separably by any suitablemeans, represented by sorew' threads3 formed'.=in

the topand screwing uponv corresponding threads formed onthe outside .of. the open upper end of the container 2. Although the I I construction described is the one preferred, the-top and thecontainermay be united by any preferred means other than the threads 3, or they may be made in one piece ifwpre- I ferred. V V r .The top 1 may be of any suitable and'pre-. ferred shape, in respect particularly to that portion which covers the open end orthe container 2. The dome shape illustrated is suitable, but preferential only. V Upon one side of the top 1, I providea spout 4: which is preferablyunited toth'e top 1, as by an inturned'flange 5 which maybe pressed or bent to conform to an aperture provlded for it in the top andwithout the use of solder. The discharge. end 6 o'fythe spout a is preferably disposed in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the container 2, in order thatthe lid-shank? provided for opening and closing the discharge end 6 will, when the'container is set upon its own bottom, occupy a substantially horizontal position, as shown in 'FigureII of the drawing. The lid-shank 7 is hinged atone end to the top 1, upon a pintl'e-8 at apoint comparatively remote fro'mthe spout 4, the object'of such dispositionof the plntle 8 being to remove the lid from such pro-ximity to the spout l 'as might expose the hinge at 8 to the obstructive presence ofthe The lid-shank 7 carries upon itsfree en'd a lid 9 to which it is joined, as by-an intersection 10 are preferably made in one piece from sheet metal which is provided, on all" sides-except the hinged end at 8, with a depending flange 11. Said flange lends stiffness to the composite member, thereby rendering its construction from. thin sheet metal I sticky contents of the container.

feasible. It also affords upon the lid 9 an overhanging guard lip 12 for the discharge end 6 of the spout 4:.

The lid-shank 7 is hinged to the top preferably by a. knuckle formed therein'to encircle the pintle 8, which is preferably made in the form of a staple having ends 15 bent atright angles to the pintle and which are passed through suitable apertures provided for them, respectively, in the top 1. On the inside of the top 1 the ends of the staple are secured to the top as by riveting, indicated at16. The form of hinge connection just described is presented by way of example only and may be varied at discretion, if preferred.

Between the spout 4 and the pintle 8, and in alignment with those members, I provide, as a part of a hinge connection, a metallic loop 17' which is secured to the top 1, as by ends 18 that are passed through apertures provided forv them in the top 1 and are bent, on the inside of the top 1, to hold the loop 17 in place, as indicated, for example, in Figure 11 of the drawing. The loop 17 secures in hinged relationship to the top 1, one extremity19 of a bent lever 20, whose opposite extremity, bent to form an intermediate shoulder 21 disposed in parallel relationship to the extremity 19, terminates in an upstanding .post

The post 22 is loosely disposed within a slot 23 longitudinally disposed in the lidshank 7. lVhen the post 22 is moved towardsv the spout l, the effect of such movement, through the coaction of the shoulder 21, will be to actuate the lid-shank 7 upon its hinge 8 away from the spout 4:. In its normal position the post 22 is located at the rear end .of the slot 23, as shown in Figure I of the drawing, and the members 19, 20,

and 21, lie in contact with the outer surface 'of the top 1, protected and substantially concealed by that portion of the flange 12 which extends along opposite sides of the lid-shank 7.

The respective hinge members 8 and 17 suggest two examples of variation of hinge connection, of which a number of kinds are equally available for the purpose indicated.

The upstanding end of the post 22 preferably carries affixed to it a weighted or -ponderable knob 25, whose function is twocluding the mechanism thereon.

fold. By reason of its knob-like shape, the member 25 may be utilized for the manipulative opening and closing of the lid 9, as for the purpose of cleaning the top, in In this connection let it be observed that the disposition of the pintle 8 affords means of ready access to all parts of the mechanism, and that the swing of the lid-shank 7 is limited by the presence of the member 20. The knob-25 also, by reason of its weight, functionates in ready response to the force of gravity. For example, in the position of the container shown in Figure 11, the knob stands at rest upon the upright post 22; but whenever the container is tilted in the direction of the spout 4, as indicated in Figure III, its weight will cause the knob 25 to drop in the direction of the spout i, and, thereby, through the mechanical cooperation of the shoulder 21 and the lid-shank 7, positively to actuate the lid-shank 7 so as to separate the lid from the discharge end 6. of the spout.

Description of the operation of my de vice is comprehended in the terms of the foregoing specification.

What I claim is:

1. Thecombination with a container top provided with a discharge spout, of a lid for the spout hinged to the top, and lid opening and closing mechanism comprising.

a gravitationally actuated bent lever hinged to, the top and operative within a slot pro vided for it in the lid.

2. The combination with a container to provided with a discharge spout, of a li for the spout hinged to the top, and lid opening and closing mechanism comprising a gravitationally actuated bent lever. hinged to the top and operative within a slot pro;

vided for it in the lid, said lever ter-minat-,- ing in a post working in said slot and hav ing a ponderable knob on the outer end thereof,

3. The combination with a container top having a dischargespout, of a lid for said spout hinged to said top, and a gravitationally actuated ponderable member operativel'y associated with said lid for opening and closing the same, said member being located on the outside of the top, and pivotally secured to the, exterior thereof.

4. The combination with a container top having a discharge spout, of a lid for said spout hinged to said top, and a gravitationally actuated weighted member operatively associated with said lid for opening and closing the same, said member being pivotally secured to the outside of the top. intermediate the spout and the hinged connection of said lid, and located on the, outside of said top.

5. The combination with a containerv top having an outlet opening, of a lid for said opening hinged to the top, and a gravita having a portion beneath said lid, said member being operatively connected to the lid, and being adapted to open and close the same.

6. The combination with a containertop having an outlet opening, of a lid forvsaid opening hinged to the top, and a gravita tionally actuated weighted member pivotally connected to the exterior of the top and.

having a portion beneath said lid, said member when lifting thelid. swingingin a direction opposite to the pivotal movement of the lid, and being adapted to open the same upon tilting of said container. i

7. The combination with a container top having a discharge spout, of a lid ,forysaid spout, a gravitationally actuated memberoperatively associated with said lid for opening and closing the same, 'said member vand said lid being pivotally, connected to fory opening and "closing the same, and: v

means operatively connecting the member member relative tosaid lid.

and the lid permitting'movement'of said 9. The combination with a containerhaving an outlet opening, Ofja lidflfor said opening hinged to said container,a substantially '=shap'ed lever "pivoted at one. end I extending upwardly j through an opening insaid lid, and a pon-i to said container and derable head secured to the free end of said lever for opening said lid. a

set my hand in ing witness.

a "Witness: a

HARRY TAGGART.

, so In testimony whereof, 'I have hereunto" the presenceo-fa subscrib v 3 CHARLES s; n'A oN. i 

